First-Round Misses: Where Are They Now?
High picks who never panned out
By: Kelsey Surmacz · 1y
Photo: The NY Times
For any given NHL franchise - and, in particular, a rebuilding one - first-round draft picks are supposed to become critical pieces of the team's competitive future.
Unfortunately, things don't always go as planned.
The NHL has its Celebrinis, its Rantanens, its franchise-altering McDavids - but it also has its Yakupovs, its Kravtsovs, and its Juolevis. Not every first-round pick turns out to be a cornerstone piece of a future contending team, let alone an NHL regular.
Taking out 2023 and 2024 - since it is way too early to grade these picks - who are some picks from the other 10 draft years dating back to 2013 who simply have not panned out?
2013: D/LW Samuel Morin, Philadelphia Flyers (11th overall)
In what was a very talented draft class - highlighted by first overall pick Nathan MacKinnon - Morin was one of the few players in the entire first round of this draft who never quite made it at the NHL level.
After being drafted as a defenseman, the 6-foot-6 Morin spent two more years with his junior team, Rimouski Oceanic of the QMJHL - Sidney Crosby’s junior team - before playing for Philadelphia’s AHL affiliate, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, for the better part of the next two seasons.
Following his NHL debut in 2017, Morin only saw 28 more NHL games and registered a singular goal. Two ACL tears to the same knee seriously hindered his ability to play NHL games, and he made the switch to left wing in 2020 in an attempt to revive his career.
He scored his lone goal within the 20 games he played at the NHL level in 2020-21 before being sent back to the AHL. His stint with Lehigh Valley in 2020-21 is the last time he played professional hockey anywhere, as he was forced to retire because of his knee.
2014: LW Michael Dal Colle, New York Islanders (5th overall)
After an impressive 39-goal, 95-point campaign with the Oshawa Generals of the OHL in 2013-14, Dal Colle was drafted by the lowly Islanders as a hopeful cornerstone piece. He did have two more standout years in juniors, but unfortunately, that level of talent and production never quite translated to professional hockey.
Over the course of his 112-game NHL career, Dal Colle recorded just eight goals and 21 points with the Islanders. After playing only one NHL game during the 2021-22 season, Dal Colle competed for one season in Finland and has spent the past two seasons playing in Germany for the Iserlohn Roosters of the DEL.
2015: D Jakub Zboril and RW Zachary Senyshyn, Boston Bruins (13th and 15th overall)
Boston actually had three straight picks in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft. Sandwiched between these two at 14th overall was Jake DeBrusk, so that one kind of worked out for them.
These other two? Not so much.
Zboril, a defenseman, was drafted 13th overall and made his debut during the 2018-19 season, and in 76 games across parts of four seasons, he registered just one goal and 16 points. He spent last season split between the AHL’s Providence Bruins and Cleveland Monsters.
Senyshyn also made his NHL debut in 2018-19, and he spent even less time in the NHL than Zboril did. In 16 total NHL games over four seasons, he recorded one goal and three points. He has spent the last two seasons playing in Germany for the Schwenningen Wild Wings.
2016: D Olli Juolevi, Vancouver Canucks (5th overall)
Juolevi profiled as an up-and-coming offensive defenseman for his junior team, the London Knights, registering nine goals and 42 points in 57 games. That level of offense never translated to the NHL level.
In 41 NHL games across two seasons with three different teams - the Canucks, Florida Panthers, and Detroit Red Wings - he put up just two goals and three points.
He now plays in Finland for the Tappara Tampere.
2017: C Lias Andersson, New York Rangers (7th overall)
Andersson showed some promise in the Swedish junior league, and the Rangers took a chance on him. Unfortunately, for them and for Andersson, it’s a chance that didn’t pay off.
He did a lot of bouncing between the NHL, the Swedish Hockey League, and the AHL during his tenure. The Rangers traded him to the Los Angeles Kings at the beginning of the 2020-21 season, and the case was the same during his three seasons with Los Angeles.
After being signed as a free agent by Montreal in the summer of 2023 - then spending the entire season in the AHL - Andersson moved on to the Swiss League. He totaled seven goals and 17 points in 110 games.
2018: RW Vitali Kravtsov, New York Rangers (9th overall)
Kravstov, hailing from Vladivostok, Russia, had a few opportunities to establish himself with the Rangers, but he could never clear the next hurdle.
He juggled time between the KHL’s Chelyabinsk Traktor and the NHL during his entire tenure, and in 64 games played between the Rangers and Canucks, he registered just six goals and 12 points. After his window of opportunity in the NHL shut in the summer of 2023, he resigned with Chelyabinsk and currently plays there.
2019: C Alex Turcotte, Los Angeles Kings (5th overall)
Despite recently signing a three-year contract extension with the Kings - and becoming a decent bottom-six forward - Turcotte has, so far, failed to live up to his top-five billing.
He put up numbers in junior hockey, at the University of Wisconsin, and in the AHL, but he has yet to find his offensive touch at the NHL level. Relegated to that bottom-six role for now, Turcotte has produced only one goal and five points in 35 NHL games.
There is still time and space for his game to grow, but the early returns are not promising.
2020: D Jamie Drysdale, Anaheim Ducks (6th overall)
This one can be filed under the category of “incomplete,” as shoulder injuries have largely hindered Drysdale’s development at the NHL level.
After a promising start to the defenseman’s career - he scored seven goals and 40 points in his first 105 NHL games - he has put up just three goals and 10 points in 45 games spread across three seasons with the Ducks and Flyers.
He should get some opportunities to redeem his career in Philadelphia, but that remains to be seen.
2021: RW Tyler Boucher, Ottawa Senators (10th overall)
After a good showing on the US National Team in juniors, Boucher earned his way to a top-10 selection in 2021. Unfortunately, it’s been a little downhill from there.
He cut his collegiate career at Boston University pretty short, and he signed his ELC with the Senators midway through the 2021-22 NCAA season. He spent the next two seasons with the Ottawa 67s of the OHL, never quite meeting the numbers he put up in the USHL.
Just like others on this list, shoulder and groin injuries have hindered his development. He played in just 21 AHL games for the Belleville Senators in 2023-24, potting just two goals and five points. He was assigned to Belleville to begin the 2024-25 season.
2022: D Kevin Korchinski, Chicago Blackhawks (7th overall)
Korchinski put up some monster numbers as a defender in junior hockey. Between 2021-23, he recorded 15 goals and 138 points in 121 games, which would, obviously, catch the attention of NHL scouts.
Then, in 2023-24, Korchinski earned a roster spot with the Blackhawks and spent the season with the team. However, he registered only five goals and 15 points in 76 games, likely experiencing difficulty with the adjustment to the NHL level.
He is starting the season in the AHL with the Rockford Icehogs, which may slow things down for him a bit and could be of benefit. But if he isn’t able to find his offensive game down there, he would serve as a cautionary tale to NHL GMs not to rush prospect development.
Kelsey Surmacz
Follow me on X: @kelsey_surmacz4
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